Newsletter 27th January 2023

27th January 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

Will you be a Parent Governor for Mill Water?

We are looking for enthusiastic and committed parents from a variety of backgrounds to join our friendly, active and motivated Governing Board. Your special quality is being a parent of a Mill Water pupil. It doesn’t matter how long your child has been at the school.

Parent Governor Vacancy

12 Top Tips for Cyber Resilience

Most of us check our locks at night and keep our PIN numbers safe, but when it comes to cyber-security many people are not nearly as cautious. Have a look at the National Online Safety’s 12 Top Tips for Building Cyber Resilience at Home

You can register with our school here to create a free account, download the National Online Safety App and access all of the free resources.

Next ‘Friends of Mill Water PTFA’ Meeting

Friends of Mill Water PTFA invite you to join them for their first meeting of 2023! Either come into school or join online on Thursday 9th February, 11am – 12noon. Hear the fun things planned for the next few terms and learn how you can get involved and lend your support (over a cuppa and biscuits). No jobs are too onerous and the emphasis is on fun, while raising money that goes directly to enrichment activities for all pupils. Did you know that the PTFA paid for last month’s school Christmas panto for pupils, as well as heaps of other cool things? Without the PTFA, pupils would not have these experiences.

For background, the PTFA has existed as a charity since 1989. It has a board of supportive Trustees and its committee members host meetings, oversee finances, plan activities and (the fun bit) decide what to spend money on. When our older pupils move on, it loses its longer-standing PTFA members. The committee now desperately needs fresh faces to come forward in order to ensure that it continues to exist and continues to enrich pupils’ lives and school journeys. It needs committee members to come forward this term, plus volunteers to help bake cakes (eg for Bicton Spring Fayre in March) and provide general support. Again, none of the tasks require a great deal of time. They just need new people to help man the PTFA ‘ship’ and help steer it forward. Family members and friends are also very welcome to get involved, as well as school staff.

If you would like to learn more or if you would like a Teams invite link to join the meeting virtually on February 9th, please email fundraising@millwater.devon.sch.uk Thank you!

Parent and Carer Support Workshops

Devon County’s Early Help team are running free ‘Autism and Us’ themed workshops for parents and carers during Spring 2023. They will provide support for those with primary and secondary children who are either on the autism waiting list or who have received a diagnosis of autism.

Full details can be found here

To book your place or find out more, email: educationlearnersupport@devon.gov.uk

Attendance

At the beginning of the year, general attendance letters were sent from the local authority to all schools outlining the steps we should take to support good attendance. Good attendance supports children to achieve well and enjoy school more. I know that as a community, absence is not as easy to manage as our mainstream counterparts so as always I will continue to treat every case individually in the best way for families.

One way in which we manage absence is to keep you informed at particular stages of absence: You will receive a letter from the office when:

    • You have reached 12 sessions (6 days) of absence
      (morning and afternoon are 2 sessions)
    • If levels become a concern - below 90%
      (the expectation for mainstream schools is 94%)

Resolving Family Conflict

Free online support for improving family relationships is available from Happy Families, Happy Futures Devon. This is aimed at helping parents to create a better environment for their children by managing emotions and developing positive communication and problem-solving skills.

Click here for more details and to complete a referral form

Raising Money While You Shop

You can raise money for Friends of Mill Water School (PTFA) while you shop via

You can find out more about the PTFA here

Signposting...

Devon Signpost Plus has loads of useful information relating to Children with Additional Needs in its weekly Snippets round-up.

Winter Support for Woodbury, Exmouth and Budleigh residents
Seachange in Budleigh can offer help with the purchase of ‘energy saving’ items this winter, through the National Grid Community Matters Fund. Please initially contact Sarah Forde at Seachange via sarah.forde@seachangedevon.org

This fund is limited and once it’s gone it’s gone. 

Household Support Funding (approx. £100)
Available for those on pre-payment gas and electric meters.
Complete this online form to apply.

Exmouth Foodbank
Exmouth Foodbank provides food help to anyone struggling to make ends meet, from its premises in Sheppards Row.
Tel: 07749 322291  Email: help@exmouthfoodbank.org.uk

Wesley’s in Budleigh Salterton
Community larder and a monthly ‘pay-as-you-can’ community supper, in Temple Methodist Church hall, Fore Street, EX9 6NG. Call 07955 863160 for more details.